Incidence and risk factors of Post-intensive care syndrome (PICS) in surgical ICU survivors: a prospective Chinese cohort study.

Background: Post-intensive care syndrome (PICS) is a term coined by the Society of Critical Care Medicine to describe the psychological, cognitive, and physical dysfunction that ICU survivors may experience. Although surgical patients represent a substantial proportion of ICU survivors, studies describing PICS in this specific population remain limited. This study aims to determine the incidence and independent risk factors associated with PICS among surgical ICU survivors in a Chinese cohort.

Methods: The study was a prospective cohort study of critically ill surgical patients who were discharged from the ICU at the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University between August 2021 and June 2022. Demographic characteristics, disease-related information, and ICU treatment were collected, and enrolled participants were followed up within six months after ICU discharge. The Chinese version of the Medical Outcomes Study 36-item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36) and the Short Memory Questionnaire (SMQ) were used to assess PICS. The physical component summary (PCS) and the mental component summary (MCS) were averaged from the corresponding four-dimension scores in the SF-36. PICS diagnosis was determined based on the presence of at least one of the following: physiological dysfunction (defined as PCS reductions greater than 10), psychological dysfunction (defined as MCS reductions greater than 10), or cognitive dysfunction (defined as SMQ reductions and scores less than 40 at six months). PICS diagnosis was based on the presence of at least one of the following: physiological, psychological, or cognitive dysfunction.

Results: A total of 565 patients were screened in this study, and 83 were enrolled after applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Overall, 65 surgical ICU survivors developed PICS within six months, with an incidence rate of 78.3%. The prevalences were 55.4% and 27.7% at the end of 3 and 6 months after ICU discharge, respectively. Univariate analysis showed that there was a correlation between the occurrence of PICS and the total bilirubin and creatinine levels at ICU admission, APACHE II score, ICU length of stay, and the presence of dialysis (P < 0.05). ICU length of stay was identified as an independent risk factor for the occurrence of PICS in surgical ICU survivors after adjusting for confounders.

Conclusion: The overall PICS incidence in surgical ICU survivors was 78.3%, with prevalence gradually decreasing over time to 27.7% within 6 months. For surgical survivors requiring ICU care, the longer the ICU stay, the more likely to develop PICS.

Implications for clinical practice: The findings offer valuable insights into the incidence and risk factors of PICS in surgical ICU survivors, which can help healthcare professionals identify surgical cases at high risk of developing PICS and tailor the treatment effectively.